The human body already has a highly efficient cooling system: As perspiration evaporates, it draws heat away from the body. Wicking fabrics facilitate this process by distributing sweat evenly over the fabric, so that it dries more quickly. Despite devising cheats, such as menthol-like chemical coatings added to fabrics, companies have never actually improved upon the body's natural cooling process. Designers at Columbia Sportswear have now made a fabric that does.
The wicking polyester base of the Omni-Freeze ZERO T-shirt is embedded with thousands of 38mm hydrophilic polymer rings (a men's medium has more than 41,000 of them). As the base spreads sweat, the rings absorb moisture and expand into three-dimensional doughnuts. In order to swell, the rings require energy, which they gather as body heat. In tests, the shirt was up to 10 degrees cooler against the wearer's skin than shirts made from any other material.
For now it's only available in the US but we hope to see it stocked at Australian stores soon.
Columbia Sportswear Omni-Freeze Zero Freeze Degree T-shirt
Weight: 136 grams
Material: stretch polyester
Sun Protection Factor: 50
Price: $60 US
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